Chapter 3: Traitor Amongst Us
by Moony1231
Summary: Hermione finds out the double life lead by a friend, Harry's pissed off, Draco's leaving for home, new mystery is unraveling about the disappearance of a king


Chapter Three: Traitor Amongst Us  
  
"Guys! You'll never guess what happened!" Harry began yelling to Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Draco, and Tara who were seated at the table in the Great Hall for dinner.  
"Well, you might as well tell us than, if we can't guess. Don't you think?" Draco said blankly. Harry ignored him. "You are looking at the new Gryffindor Quidditch Captain!"  
"Congratulations Harry!" Hermione said happily.   
"Good job, Harry!" Ron said getting up and patting Harry on the back.  
"That's wonderful Harry!" Ginny said form across the table.  
"I'm guessing I should say congratulations, too," Tara said unsurely. Draco got up from the table and stood in front of Harry. "Well done, Potter. But don't think that because you are the new captain, and because we have mutual friends, that I'm gonna cut you any slack on the field," he said.  
"Malfoy, I never wanted you to cut me any slack. I was gonna take it easy on you!"  
"I'm not the one who's gonna need it!"  
******  
Saturday morning came by far quicker than Harry would have expected. He awoke before the breaking of dawn, and was ready and waiting for his other team mates to join him in the locker room. Fred and George Weasley were the first to arrive in the locker room.  
"Harry, why must we be here this early?" George drawled, trying to keep his eyes from drooping shut.  
"Sorry guys, but we've gotta start sometime," Harry apologized as the rest of the team walked slowly in.   
"Harry, are you trying to become Mack of something? What's with the wake up call?" Justan Hanus, the fourth year keeper, complained.   
"Ya, well, I just wanted to get a headstart this season," Harry explained. As Deseray Johnson, the fifth year keeper sat down, she yawned, "Couldn't we have gotten a headstart, say around... ten or eleven? It's too freakin' early for this!" At that same moment, Georgette Smittz, a sixth year chaser, walked in hurriedly. "Sorry I'm running so late, guys. But... my roommate moved my broom, and I couldn't get her to wake up and tell me where it was! Oh by the way.... Harry, Hermione's outside, she says she needs to talk to you." Gorgette gave a sly smile as the rest of the team started whistling.  
"Harry, go outside and `talk' with your girlfriend," Jeremiah cooed. Harry turned red, "Shut up you all! Everyone go outside and .... I don't know .... fly laps or something!"  
"Yessir captain sir!" Fred and George said together.   
"LAPS! NOW!" Harry yelled authoritivly. The team grabbed their brooms and ran out the locker room doors onto the field.  
Harry now stood alone in the locker room. What am I gonna tell her? Sorry, but I really wanted to say `I love you' when we were rudely interrupted! No! That just sounds stupid. Harry stood there arguing with himself when there came a soft knock on the door. That's her! What'll I say? What'll I do? I'm gonna make a complete fool of myself! Harry ran a hand through his hair. "Better late than never," he whispered to himself. "Come in!" he called to the door. He heard it creak open, than the soft tap of footsteps.  
"Harry. Can we talk?" It was, of course, Hermione. He looked wearily at her. God she's beautiful, he thought to himself. "Harry?" He snapped out of his trance.  
"Ya! I wanted to talk.... too. You first!" he urged.  
"Well actually... I wanted to know what you were gonna ask. You know....the other night by the lake."  
She Remembers!  
"Oh... uh... right.... the lake." Harry tried to act as if he vaguely remembered the near intimate moment.  
"So... what were you going to ask? Harry... are you all right?" Hermione asked looking at him. He had been staring at her, a glazed look in his eyes. He broke out of his trance yet again.   
"Oh. Right. Well... I was going to say that..." he moved closer to her and placed a hand on her cheek. Her eyes became foggy with tears. "Hermione. You're my best friend in the entire world, well besides Ron. (she stifled a giggle). We've been through so much together, and with everyday that passes by.... I keep wondering if.... one of these days.... I might get into trouble with Vol...(she flinched) I mean You-Know-Who... and I worry that you might get caught in the crossfire and get hurt. All because of my stupid past." Hermione moved in even closer and wrapped her arms around him, placing her head on his shoulder.   
"Harry," she began, trying to hold back tears, "No one in this world could harm me, as long as I have you in my life. Not even (gulp) Lord Voldemort. And your past means nothing to me. You may be Famous Harry Potter to the world, but to me... you're just Harry."   
He lifted her head gently and brought her mouth to his. They kissed. A deep yet gentle kiss which they both seemed to put all their emotional frustrations into. Harry pulled away. She looked at him in surprise, staring straight into his shining green eyes. "Hermione, I've been wanting to tell you this for a really long time. I just never knew how to, but I can't keep it in any longer. Hermione.... I love you." A silent tear rolled down Hermione's cheek. "I love you too, Harry!" They leaned in for another kiss. Their lips touched.... suddenly the door burst open, and the team came running into the locker room.   
"Whoa! Sorry to interrupt boss!" Fred said as he caught sight of Harry and Hermione together. Hermione smiled weakly and placed her head on Harry's chest as the rest of the team followed behind Fred, finding the two embracing in the middle of the room.  
"Guys... change of plans," Hermione looked up at Harry as he spoke to the team. "Practice....is canceled." A smile spread across his face as he pulled Hermione's mouth back up to his for another kiss.  
"Ok captain, we can take a hint." The team left Harry and Hermione and walked quietly out of the locker room.  
******  
"Where are they?" Ron was sitting in the Great Hall at lunch with Ginny, Draco, Tara, Fred and George.   
"They decided to have themselves a snog this morning at quidditch practice," Fred said holding back his laughter.  
"Looks like they had a little more than a snog," Draco said pointing to the doors. Harry and Hermione had just walked into the Hall, hand in hand. Their robes were wrinkled, and their hair disheveled (Harry's looking even more untidy than usual).  
"Look at the two love birds!" George said as they sat down at the table. They were quiet for a while, hands clasped together beneath the table, Hermione leaning her head on Harry's shoulder. The silence was broken as hundreds of owls burst into the Great Hall, carrying packages and letters. Hedwig flew to the table, dropping the Daily Prophet on top of the basket of biscuits. Hermione lifted her head as Harry reached for the paper. Pigwidgeon flew up to Ron, dropping a letter into his bowl of porridge. The two birds sat perched on the edge of an empty chair.  
"Why does your owl put your mail on the dry part of the table?" Ron asked grumpily, pulling the soggy letter out of his bowl.  
"Obedience school," Harry said sarcastically, opening the paper. Ron opened his letter.  
"Hey it's from mum, she's saying something about.... a fairy king?" Ron said looking to the others.  
"What? Gimme that!" George yelled, grabbing the paper out of Ron's hands. He read aloud:  
My dearest children,  
Hello darlings! I miss you all so much! Tell Harry and Hermione hello for me, will you. I want you all to read carefully. There is a horrible rumor going about dealing with You-Know-Who, trying to kidnap Ireland's fairy king. I know Ronald and Harry have had their share of run ins with the Dark Lord, so please, be on your best behavior and be extremely careful.  
Love, your Mother,  
Molly Weasley  
Tara went pale and the others became gravely silent.  
"Tara...what would the Dark Lord want with Ireland's fairy king?" Ron questioned.  
"Well, how should I know?"  
"I'm sorry. I just thought ...."  
"That since I'm a fairy, I would know what Voldemort (all, but Harry and Draco flinched) wants with the fairy king?" Tara asked upset.  
"Well, I just meant..."  
"That because most of my family consists of fairies, that we'd know what was going on!" Tara was now, to everyone's surprise, becoming furious. Ron was accually becoming a bit frightened. He hadn't seen Tara act this way before.  
"You know what I think of your damn assumptions, Ron! I think their a load of crap!" Tara yelled. She then stormed from the table out of the Great Hall.  
"Looks like someone's PMSing," Draco said with a smirk. Ginny looked to Hermione who, sitting next to Draco, punched him in the arm.  
"OW! Hey! What the hell was that for? It could be PMS!" he said rubbing the spot Hermione had hit.  
"Why did she get so mad? It was just a question," Ron said staring into his porridge.  
"Maybe... the whole assuming she had anything to do with the king's disappearance offended her," Ginny said.  
"Well, no shit it offended her!" Fred began. "Otherwise she wouldn't have up and left like that."  
"Hey guys. Take a glance at this! There's a report about the king, here in the paper." Harry passed on the paper as the others read:  
King of Fairies Kidnapped  
It has been discovered that, Bartholemeuw O' Mally, the Irish Fairy King, was kidnapped from his fortress, located fifty-three miles outside of Dublin's fairy ring.   
Bartholemeuw has been called the greatest ruler of the ring since King Fredrich, who died last year at the ripe old age of 575435463873.   
Bartholemeuw lived in the fortress with his wife, Bernadette, and thier only daughter, Taralee. Queen Bernadette awoke last Friday morning, to find her husband missing. Their daughter Taralee, was sent to another school earlier in the year, but is having a close kept watch on. Our sources believe that King Bartholemeuw has been taken prisoner by the Dark Lord, Voldemort. Lord Voldemort has been believed to having gradually been regaining his powers , after being myseriously defeated by Harry Potter, now age sixteen. (Harry blushed)   
The authorities here in the fairy ring are keeping Queen Bernadette and the fortress under tight surveilance. The fortress is being investigated for evidence by the FRCSI and will release any further details later in this ongoing investigation..  
"Wow, that's .... wow," was all Ginny could say once they had finished reading the article.  
"But .... what would You-Know-Who want with a fairy king?" Ron asked yet again. They all turned to Hermione. She groaned and began to explain.  
"You see, the fairies keep an object in the center of the rings, which helps keep them from ageing. These `objects', usually a stone or a seed of some sort, holds a power that is extremely valuable. If taken into the wrong hands, dangerous things can occur. In You-Know-Who's case, it would help him regain full power. It could even cause him to be even more powerful than he was seventeen years ago when he.... oh...... I'm sorry Harry."  
Harry looked down at the mentioning of Voldemort's power, which killed both his mother and father seventeen years ago. "Hey, it's ok. It doesn't bother me," he said, a croak in his voice.  
"No, no. I know you don't like for me to mention..."  
"Get off it Hermione! Please.... just shut the hell up about it will you!" he yelled. Hermione looked at him, a shocked expression on her face. Angry tears welled in his eyes, his face growing red with hatred. They all knew he wasn't angry at Hermione, but at Voldemort. Suddenly, Harry hit the table with his fist. The others looked at him in surprise. He was breathing heavily, droplets of sweat dripping down his face despite the cool air wafting through the room.. He slowly lifted his fist from the table top. A dent had formed under the pressure of the blow. His knuckle was chalk white from clenching his fist so tightly.   
"Harry..." Ginny said softly, but was cut off by him.  
"Just... don't talk to me. Any of you....I....I just need... to be alone. For a while." He slowly got up from the table and walked out of the Great Hall.  
"I didn't mean... I .....I .... I didn't want to..." tears began to stream down Hermione's face, her chin trembling as she spoke. Ginny went around to Hermione, to try and comfort her.   
"Damn," George said breaking the awkward silence. "I've never seen Harry get so mad before. Maybe at you Draco, but never at Hermione." She began to sob even louder.  
"Come off it, Weasley! You're only making the poor girl feel worse!" Ron, Fred, George, and Ginny looked at Draco with disbelief. They had never heard him say anything with sincerity before, with the exception of Ginny.  
"Are you deliberately trying to make me and my family out to be the bad guys here, Malfoy?" Ron asked becoming angry.  
"Ron, I'm just saying. Your brother isn't helping Hermione any by saying Harry got angry at her. We all know it's Voldemort he's pissed off at." Ron flinched and said through gritted teeth," Don't Say THAT Name!" Draco rolled his light gray eyes, " Oh please! You're still scared of Voldemort?! He can't even regain his powers without some ones help. He's nothing but an old wizard, trying to become young again!" Ron, getting ready to retaliate, was held back. Not physically, but rather somewhat emotionally. He looked at Ginny, still sitting with Hermione, but looking over at Draco. The two were lovingly looking into each others eyes, as if speaking to each other telepathically. She stopped looking at Draco and turned to Ron, surprised to find him watching her.  
"I think I'll take Hermione back up to the dorm," she said turning away from his gaze. The two girls stood up, but Hermione insisted she go alone. "I'll be fine," she said, and walked off.  
******  
Harry walked through the deserted hallway, thinking of his deceased parents. He could still hear his mothers cries to Voldemort, begging him not to hurt Harry. He stopped in the middle of the empty hallway and closed his eyes. He heard his mother's screams, and evil laugh, the saw a flash of green light... his hand shot up to his forehead. A searing pain stabbing through it. Pain so horrible that Harry fell to the floor in agony. The pain seemed too much to bare. It was as if Voldemort's hand were upon him. Without warning, the pain stopped just as suddenly as it had started. His face, which had become distorted from the pain, now relaxed at it's sudden absence.   
Harry was now lying on the floor, still gripping at the lightning bolt scar. What the hell was that?! he thought to himself. That only happens when.... holy shit! He forced himself up from the ground and bounded out of the hall.   
******  
Hermione had walked silently up to Gryffindor Tower, all the while having tears drip down her face, spattering on her black robes. "Jabberwocky" she said to the portrait of the fat lady. It swung open to reveal the common room. No one seemed to be here. Hermione was alone. She sighed and headed for the girls' dormitory. As she reached the doorway, she heard murmuring coming from the room.  
As not to frighten whom ever was there, Hermione slowly pushed the door open a crack. The voice was audible now. It was Tara's voice. "Why must I be stuck here?! Everyone thinks I'm a freak... just because I'm a fairy! They could be right.... if they only knew who they were fucking with! I've got connections! Connections to some of the most evil and powerful wizards around. Let's just see how they all act when my master has regained his powers, yet again. I am currently seated at the right hand of the most powerful wizard around this whole fucking country! Poor little Potter... he'll never know what hit him... once my masters plan falls into action. I knew it! I knew it all along! My master's brilliant! He's bloody BRILLIANT!"  
Hermione gave a silent gasp. Tara's working for Voldemort! How could this be? She headed back down to the common room and out the portrait hole. She stood there in the hall, reviewing what she just heard through her head. Tara's with Voldemort... she's here to help him kill Harry.... "HARRY! I've got to tell Harry!"  
****** 


End file.
